Electric switch mechanism



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ELECTRIC SWITCH MECHANISM Oct. 6, 1923 3 Sheets-Shoot 2 Patented Sept. 23, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC SWITCH MECHANISM Application filed October 6, 1923,'Serial No. 667,079, and in Germany September 10, 1923.

The present invention relates to improvements in the mechanism and construction of high tension and transformer stations, as these are used to-day for the distribution of 5 high tension energy in general or for the conduction of electrical energy to municipal or other consumers, e. g. factories, after the re sultin transformation.

Hitherto it has been generally customary to place the component parts of such stations in specially provided small structures or in high tension chambers. Owing to this, all the parts are separately assembled so that the parts lie free from one another in the 5 structure and in the high tension chamber.

Owing to this method of installation, especially in the case of larger sub-stations, a considerable amount of building is necessary, in

. which the apparatus very often must be sepa- 0 rated and erected on several stories.

Very many disadvantages are inseparable from this method of installation. These are:

. the necessity for special structures or high tension chambers, the time wasted and the.

expense in the installation of the plant within these high tension chambers requiring an expert and costly assembling staff, and the great space needed for these stations, owing to which the whole arrangement is very costl Furthermore, with this arrangement tliere is the disadvantage of smaller opportunity for inspection of the plant and, in consequence, continuous danger to life for the working stafit'. With low tension plant, with which there are objections to the above described open arrangement, it is necessary to install the switch installation for factories, etc. in large enclosed units, i. e. switch boxes.

It has already been attempted to arrange high tension switch apparatus making use of switch boxes as employed in low tension plant. These contrivances do not, however, fulfil the conditions which are necessary to the management of high tension plant; consequently the switch box system for high tension plant can only be employed to a limited extent;

Furthermore, the before-mentioned disadvantages of the open method of construction of the high tension plant are not removed.

According to this invention polyphase high tension sub-stations are constructed with all components appertaining to one phase substantially in one plane while corresponding parts of different phase are in orthogonal projection, and with all the necessary components of the station including at least the oil break switch isolation switch, internal connections for outgoing cables, enclosed in a single casing and immersed in oil or other insulating fluid for the purpose-of excluding air and for insulation.

Units built according to the invention may include only the parts just mentioned or they may include also instrument transformers, power transformers, fuses or other safety de- Vices. 'A sub-station may consist of only one of such units, or of a number of them, and units may be added from time to time as the demand upon the sub-station develops.

In the drawing, one example of the construction of the invention is shown.

Figure 1 shows a plan of the simplest arrangement of such a unit, which shows only one in-going and one out-going cable with the intermediary switching of an oil switch and of an isolation switch.

Figure 2 shows a plan for one in-going and one out-going cable with protected distribution cable.

Figure 3 shows a plan of two pairs, with one in-going andout-going cable, in which each pair is provided with a special protected distribution cable and with a coupling switch.

Figure 4 shows the plan of a unit with a transformer built on.

Figure 5 shows the inner construction of 90 the mechanism according to Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a perspective View of the oil switch with current transformers.

Figure 7 shows a perspective view of th ee isolation switches built together for th; ee cables. I

Figure 8 shows a front view of the manner of setting out such a sub-station with open doors.

In Figure 1 is shown the simplest arrangcment. The switch mechanism is built in a box 1 closed on all sides, which is filled with oil and is rovided with a removable cover.

' The box 1 is divided into two parts by a cut partition 2, of which one 3 holds the isolation switch and the other- 4 holds the oil switch.

The out-going cable begins in the cable attachment sleeve 5 from which the leading out insulator ducts 6 are led through the wall of the box. On the oil switch are built current transformers 7. 8 are the fixed contacts and 9 the switch knife of the oil switch. The current is led through the insulator duct 10 to the space 3, in which the isolation switch is situated; the moving contacts of the latter are indicated at 11, the fixed con tact knife at 12. The insulator ducts 13 lead to the in-coming cable, which ends in the attachment sleeve 14;

Figures 2 and 3 show plans of a larger v switch arrangement. The mechanism will be obvious by reference to the foregoing description of Figure 1. The same parts are indicated by the same reference numbers, I Figure 4 shows a unit, in which the transformer 20 is enclosed in a box or casing. This arrangement is especially suitable for the junction of factories to the system.

This compact method of building up the whole switch mechanism is, as already observed, only made possible by the special con- .struction of the switch apparatus, and accordingly it is possible to erect the isolating switch and the oil switch with their complementary parts. The whole arrangement of these parts is illustrated in Figure 5.

The characteristic feature of the switch mechanism consists in that all parts of the same as, for instance, the switch knife, fixed contacts, current transformers, also eventually the fuses, conductors, etc., which are of the same phase or polarity, or which are under the same tension, lie in the same plane,

whilst the similar parts, which are in other phase, polarity, or tension, are arranged in .planes at a distance from one another. There is, therefore, a further characteristic of this switch mechanism, that all these parts falling in the same projection are operated by a single member. 5

Yeta further characteristic of this construction lies in the fact that the members which carry out the switching operations are are arranged and in whichthey lie.

The actuation of the switch mechanism built as a unit in the box, as, for instance, isolation switches, oil switches, etc., is carried out by hand-wheels 22 and handles 20, which are arranged on'the cover of the box,

' and which are provided. with the necessary locking devices 21 workingwith one another (Fig; 8). T e switch knives 11 (Fig. 5) of the 1sothe insulator ducts 13, which lead on to the cable attachment sleeve 14 (Figs. 1-4), whilst the oppositely placed fixed contacts are connected to the insulator ducts 10, which lead to the first setof fixed contacts 8 of the oil switch. These fixed contacts 8 are arranged on an insulated rod 17, whilst the movable contact knife 9 is fastened to the movable vertical shaft 18; the latter is connected with a hand-wheel 22 situated on the cover (Fig.

8) through a carrying over mechanism 19 diagrammatically shown in the drawing, by means of the throw-over switch mechanism (not shown in the drawing).

In the drawing (Fig. 5), the rod 18 is shown broken oif, so that the uppermost con.- tact is shown in the switched-out and the two lower contacts in the switched-in position. The second set of fixed contacts 8 is connected by the current transformers 7 to insulator ducts 6 (Figs. 1-4), which connect with the cable attachment sleeve 5 (Figs. 1-4 v From the drawing it can be seen that all parts which are in the same phase or of the same tension lie in the same plane, Whilst those parts which are in different phases, project from one another. Q

Inconsequence of-this construction it is possible simply to arrange different units units, so that every switch system can'be carried out. The mechanism is thus very easy of inspection. This ease of inspection is increased, if on the cover of the units the whole system can be shown on a suitable scale, for instance, by means of aluminium An important advantage of this mechanism exists in the feature that every crossing of wires or rods of different phase, tension, or polarity is avoided. y g The cover of the oil switch box is so fastened to the latter thatit can be easily opened for the purpose of the control of the switch. Generally, a locking device is provided, the effect of which is to prevent opening except when the switch is not under potential.

The isolation switches can be provided with means which enable one to ascertain whether the cable is under potential; this mechanism makes an earthing of the cable possible.

The Figures 6, 7 and 8 show in detail the oil switch, thejisolation switch and the arrangement of a complete station set up in an open casing.

The advantage which this systemproduces in practice, comprises in addition to the above'mentioned ease'of inspection, the saving of space, as well as the many possibilities of usage, and, furthermore, the feature that the high tension or transformer station is, therefore, reduced and sim lified.

Furthermore, the factory, 'whic manuing of a casing'filled with insulating material, each containing all its necessary components with their internal connections.

4. A polyphase electric switching plant having phase ocated substantially in one horizontal "plane, while corresponding parts of different phase are located in vertical lanes and comprising one or more units, eac unit con-1 .tions are supplied complete to the place of factures these sub-stations, supplies themto the user after previous examination and testing in the factory itself.

It can be'understood from the foregoing that by means of the described mechanism all-especial local conditions need not be considered and that the apparatus can be built and carried out for every current system and for every tension.

' the same p The boxes can be madeof metal, concrete, or other suitable substance and are filled with oil or other suitable material.

I declare that what I claim is:

.1. A portable polyphase high-tension switching plant having all the switches of ase and having the same tension or the same clarity in the same horizontalplane and the corresponding switches for the different phases arranged in the same vertical plane, comprising a series oifseparable switch units, each unit comprising a switch of each base vertically arranged, said units being ocated adjacent each other and in contact and electrical connections between the several units-of the series.

2. A comprising a plurality of separable enclosed switch unlts, each unit including a switch for each phase vertically arranged, said units being located adjacent and in contact with each other to form a series so that the switches of each phase and having the same tension or the same larity are in the same horizontal plane an corresponding switches of difi'erent phases are in the same vertical plane.

phase ocated substantially in one horizontal plane, while corresponding parts of different phase are located in verticalplanes and comprising one or more units, each unit consistportable polyphase switching plant:

all components appertaining to one' polyphase electric switching 'plant V -hav1n all components appertaining to one III 

